TALK OF THE DAY.

THE MORTALITY RECORD

i Several deaths aie recently announced. j One is that of Tranter, the 1884 son of Musket I and Pungawerewere. He was the last of Musket's get out of the Dunedin Cup winner. Her next foal was St. James, sired by Leolinus. Tranter was brother to Tetford, Krupp, and Brigadier. The Hon. E. Mitchelson bought him as a yearling, and sent the youngster to Melbourne to be trained by Mr Dakin, but he had to meet a lot of cracks of his own age, and proved to be something less than first-rale, and his only win. so far as I know, was in a Maiden Plate jat Caulfield. No. 2 on my list is St. Regel (Leger spelt backwards). This horse was bred by Mr E. W. Alison, of the North Shore, Auckland, in 1892, got by St. Leger out of the New South Wales-bred mare Friendship, daughter of the Yattendon horse Reprieve. He ran three times unplaced as a two-year-old, and in the followiug season led off with a dead-heat in a Maiden Handicap at Auckland. This was a somewhat sensational race, the dead-heater being Mantle, who paid inside .-8139 10s, whilst St. liegol's backers got only 16s. Later on he accounted for the St. Andrew's Handicap and a welter at Takapuna, the Grand Stand Handicap at Auckland on the day that Bloodshot won the Royal Stakes, and a welter at the Winter meeting, and as a four-year-old he captured the Spring Handicap at Auckland. In the spring of 1897 St. Regel was taken off the turf to be used for breeding purposes, and being a fine-looking horse, with a reputation as a stayer, he seemed likely to do well. Next to notice is Lord of the Isles, who was biccl by the Hon. E. K. Cox, of New South Wi'lc;, in 1880, got by Yot tendon from Nathalie, by Warlock. Lord of the Isles was brought to Hawke's Bay when a yearling by Mr Allen M'Lean, and wont to the slud in early life. The two racers that have chiefly made his name are Noyade, with whom Captain Russell won the Wanganui Derby and the Taranaki Jockey Club Handicap, and the steeplechaser Morag. No. 4is the steeplechaser Roscius, by Gladiator — Swindle. lie also died at Hawke's Bay. Three years ago Roscius was one of the colony's most reliable sleeplechaf-eis, a feat that will long be remembered being his second to Mutiny in the Grand National of 1895, when conceding 61b to the winner. The word '"feat" reminds me that Roscius was said to be the champion for large feel. Fifth in order i* Cornelia, daughter of Traducor and the Potentate mare Policy, and bettor known as the dam of Alma, j She went to the stud in 1876, and was List served, I think, by Exchange in 1896. Twenty years of breeding is a long period of service. No. 6is Fallacy. But this mare, so well known in Olago and Canteibuiy, demands a paragraph all to herself.

THE DAM OF FIRST LORD

This is Fallacy's proudest title. In herself she was not a great racer. Coming from Mr i jSTosworthy's breeding farm, and being half sisler to Traitor and Tattler, the daughter of Sledmero and Deception was voted a promising youngster. But she had the bad luck to be born in the same yoar as several rather good horses, notably Danebury, Bribery, Puriri, Hij>pocampus, Middleton, and Songster, ft ncl .she did not squeeze in comfortably into that company, being hardly good enough, though on her merits she might have done I fairly well in some years. Rho ran third to Songster and the Fanny Fisher colt (subsequently named Hippocampus) in the Canterbury Derby, finishing cloi>o up after a wellcontested race; then she ran second to Mid-dle-ton in the Maiden Plate, and won the Consolation fioin a fail field, of whom the neV., best at the weights Mere KingfWiei and Rob Itoy. After that. &ho went, to Auckla 1 1 -I think old Bob Pi ay took hpr vp — and there she beat hei only opponent, the sleeploo laso maro Perfume, in the n-e'ght-for-age Publicans" Purse, but got a bad doing in Hie Spiling race won by Tommy Dodd. Loaiin? to Dunedin, Fallacy cairied 7.2 in the Cup, m cl made a very fair race of it. I can see the race now. It was the one in which Right Bower came to grief at the end of a mile. Fallacy made her run from the bottom of the straight, and got up such speed that everybody thought she would win ; but she failed badly after nearly catching the leaders, and had to accept third place, behind Fishhook 7.12 and Hippocampus 7.1, the latter ridden by Tommy Allen, for many years past head lad at Mr Goodman's stable. I am speaking now of 21 years ago. Really it does not seem so long since Fishhook was taken up to Kakanui by Stewart Waddell on Dan O'Brien's account, and pulled off the Handicap there, and collected at once so as to leave next morning anrl walk to Dunedin, where he wa« Io lay the foundation of Dan's fortune. But the book tells us that these things happened in the autumn of 1877. Fallacy also started in the Dunedin Derby that

year— the race for which Bribery was fancied and in which her stable mate Puriri got home. After that she ran unplaced in the AuUunn Handicap that was a gift to Bribery, and she also started in the Easter Handicap won by Pungawerewere. There is no need to follow her turf career further. It wis not of a glorious character. But she had Hie .^tuff in 'her, and all her stock galloped. Everton Lad, who unexpectedly defeated Stonyhurst in tho Dunedin Champagne, was ono of hci son-3 ; tho illustrious Firat Lord, a really fine racer, was another; 3 ncl that pretty galloper Forbury came later. Marlin, too, was a Fallacy. But First Lord was the old mare's beat son, and one who, had ho kept sound, must have put up .some gieat performances.

THE D.J.O. COMMITTEE,

A lot of important business was Iraiwftclod at the first meeting of the newly-elected committee, held last week. The reappomtmenl o£ the old executive officers was looked forward to as a matter of course. I hope it will be many a day yet ere Mr Sydney James retires from his post as secretary, and Mr Dowse has no known rivals in Otago. No doubt there are many who secretly hug the idea that they can handicap if given the show; but we don't want any experimenting in that line just yel. The reduction of the prize ! money in tho Third Eclipse Stake;, might i also have been anticipated. Tho club's funds i mint be husbanded, and there is no shame ' implied in the confession that £500 is as much ; n., we oa.o afford to endow a stake of this sort. • If there were half a dozen Mr Steads in the country, all going against one another, it would be a different matter. If there wero even two, hope of a race would soon revive. Tho appointing of a sub-committee to sec the Forbury Park owners and ascertain whether terms can be made for a further occupation of the old course is a prompt carrying out of the instruction given at the annual meeting of members. What the committee's chances of success are no one knows, but it is safe to say that the committee will loyally do their duly in the matter and bringback to the committee an answer of some sort. Whatever that answer may be, it is to be hoped that it will settle once and for all the question of shift or no shift. Time is runrang on, and the arrangements for the coming season must be soon made. The committee's refusal to place certain names on tl.e forfeit list may be taken as a lesson io coi'ntvy clubs which delay these matters. The metropolitan can only act according io the rule, and in this case the request was to post for debts which are over six months old — a couive of procedure specially prohibited by Rule 66. The secretary's report that the plough gallop was being put thoroughly in nnler should ivassure local ownovs on a point which has been vexing them. The snowfall j of Saturday night and Sunday will not, I j understand, hinder this work, but rather help it forward, since the thorough soaking will enable tho ploughs to penetrate deeply. A somewhat important resolution is that which blocks defaulters and their horses from training on the club's course. Hitherto there has occasionally been a difficulty as io what to do with an owner whoso name is | on the 'forfeit list. Special powers wero . needed to keep his horses oft the ground. These powers, derived from ownership, are j row added to the powers conferred by the • rules, and the man who wants to go on train- j ing will have to pay up before he can do j so. This is not unfair. It is illogical that j a man should be slopped from racing and ! yot be allowed to train his horses on a j course which they may not race upon.

TOTALISATOR LICENSES,

j The D.J.C. Committee al&o look this ques- ! tion into consideration. It required careful j handling, for several reasons, one of which I was that the club had been asked to bring ' its local knowledge to bear in making a ra- ' commendation as to whether Alexandra or j Vincent should lose its licence. As originJ ally advised, Cromwell was one of the doubtj ful ones too, but in the list of licenses granted as it came before the committee Cromwell Mas all right, and the only question was os between Alexandra and Vincent. Quite properly the committee declined the in\idious task, and lesolvod to* recommend that the number of licenses for Otago be Ihe same as ! in last season. For one thing, it is not made ! clear to the public why either of the clubs named should suffer. Both could get a license without exceeding the number of last 1 season, and there doe's not appoar to be any call for reduction or for tho withholding of [ call for reduction or for the withholding of a 1 licence, unless it is for the purpose of enabling j the Colonial Secretary to keep one up his sleeve, as it were, to be given out afterwards as circumstances may demand. I don't like this notion at all. It seems like opening the door to trouble for Mr Carroll and everybody else concerned. The suggestion that Vincent and Alexandra might amalgamate has no practical value at all. Thepe places are for apart, and so far as I ki?cv they have no community of interest. If compelled I could name other clubs that could amalgamate with less trouble ; but it is not my business to make any suggestions. It will be a great surprise to me if the amalgamation comes off. The Alexandra club certainly does not relish tho proposal, this being made plain at the annual meeting, when it was decided, after a markedly temperate discussion, to wiJie io Mr Larnacli, member for the district, asking him to represent the state of afiaiis' to the Colonial Secretary, and endeavour to make arrangement* so that Alexandra might be granted a permit this year, and have an opportunity of amalgamating with the Vincent Club next year. This is a polite way of putting it. Tho Alexandra Ilerald, more outspoken, says what everybody probably thinks: It is difficult to disf'-iwr 1 y niiat intricate process of reasoni"n ti.G e'"ii>reneo armed at il c conclu^ifd ti-dt eVi.or the Vincent or Alexandra Club should be tho victim, and wo consider j that 0 ctrost. injustice has been indicted on these olub«. The suggestion of amalgamation appears to us to be a geographical impossibility ; but even granting this course to be a feasible one, the clubs interested are, owing, to the shortness of the notice given, precluded from taking any steps in this direction for this season, from the simple fact that the officials of the Vincent Club ur a already bound to their programme, which v* »* issued some time ago.

THE PAST SEASON'S STATISTICS.

Looking through the annual statistics propared by " Pentagraph," of the Kefeiee, whose industry in this line deserves recognition at tho hands of all sporting writers, it will be seen that St. Leger once more heads the list of winning sires, with the splendid total of £8283. This horse goes on improving year by year. Talcing out lub totals for the last six seasons, I find they read thus: £5250. £3336, £4559, £5090, £6981, £8283.

I This mounts up to £33,439 in the six years. , Nothing but sterling merit could .secure such : a result. In embracing the.-o six yens, I , find that Nordonfeldl takes s-ccond phce with 1 £16,471. This last person the Onyx noise . has only £301 to his credit, and during the 1 Fcm&on uo'V begun he will probably drop out ! of sight; but he must always be kopt in mind, his record being undeniably good. Rare old Apromont still makes his influence felt. Always amongst the loading stallions, - he this past season secures £1981, very little behind his average for the past five years, and this brings his total for the six years to £14-, 782. St. George, placed low in tho latest , tables, iclics on past successes for his credil- ! able position on tho aggregate of the six years, his winnings for the period being £13,293. CV-tor has been only five years a contributing member, but he is fast 1 creeping up, and his last season's sum, £4694, 1 added to that of the five previous years, 1 makes £12,857. Vanguard is close on his ; hcols with £12,694; and Holchkiss's four ; years produce £11,974; while Sou- Wester ranks next with £10,758; and Dreadnought and Medallion, each with three seasons to credit, have gained good places, Dreadnought being credited with £8425 and Medallion with £8260. The^e are the leaders amongst our stallions, and there is no cause to be ashamed of them. Turning next to the returns of winning owners, wo find Mr Stead out by himself with yearly drawings of £3172, £3109, £3361, £3609', £5644, and £7128, making a total of £26,023 for the six years, or an average yearly income in slakes alone of ; £4337. The Hon. J. D. Ormond comes ' second with 14,917 ; Mr Murray Hobbs is I third with £11,187, and I don't think there ' is any other owner who in the six years has won more than the £8453 credited to the late Mr W. Douglas, who in the past season ] badly spoilt his average by getting in for only ( £147. Captain Ruspell, though last season placed as high as sixth, drags in the rear on the whole six years with something like | £5000. Mr Rathbone beats him by over | £1000. But neither of the=e owners races at ! , a profit, more's the pity. As a mailer of fact . few do. I was speaking the other clay to a i man who made the remark, " I r.oe that I won 1 i such and such a sum. 'Pon my word, I j could hardly have believed it. Every blesvocl shilling went in expenses, and a bit more too." THE TWO CUPS. TLe f!;>t r.ici?b at the V.R.C. National meeting have thrown some light on the two Cups. ! This is commented on by "Terlinga." When 1 j The Admiral won the Winter and .Tilly Han- 1 I dicaps under 9.9 and 10.4 in 1595 he was at ' once iJounced upon as a likely Cup winner. But it's a long way to October and many things ma,y happen. The Admiral had gone oil' I when the big spring meetings arrived, and 1 although Wa3 r farer stands out in bold relief j for the Caulfield Cup, he may net be nearly go dangerous on the day of the race. There enn be no two opinions about the kind of chance Wayfarer would have were tho race to bo run right away. Not only did he beat 1 his July Handicap field as if they were so j I many donkeys, but he had run a mile in lmin 47sec on the track. Some people think ! Wayfater may not slay. It is fur inoie likely that ho will. If the distance hart boon a mile j and a-half he could easily have won by a furlong. And look at his bleeding. His sire is Pilgrim's Progiess, who seems to transmit stamina to his slock, while Vimiera is by Wellington (sou of Panic) fiom Fortress, by Ace of Clubs, the hire of King of the Ring ] and hims-olt a son of Stockwcll out of a mare j by Harkaway. However, Wayfarer is not the I only horse in the Cauliield Cup. The Che- I valier won the Winter Handicap in real good j style, and lie has only 8.2 at Caulfield. In the July Handicap lie lost ground through stumbling at the post. Since he proved such a fraud last year Mtilto has been gelded in the hope of reforming him. He is now in Alec , Taylor's dangerous stable, and ran well in the Wintor Handicap. With only 7.11 Malto should not bo quite lorgotten by those who are dabbling in doubles. Bunyan is an honest wear and tear sort, whose chance looked fairly good until Wayfarer beat him so easily. Wayfarer looks very dangerous for the Caulfield Cup, and if all goes well lakers of 100 to 6 should have good hedging on Uie day, , but there have been plenty of winter good ] things for the Caulfield Cup, and bar Paris in 1892 none of them have come oft. And Paris was at a healthy price on the day of the race. |

THE V.R.O. GRAND NATIONAL.

A full report of the contest fur the V.11.C. Grand National .Steeplechase appeals under the regular heading. It is said that tho tact of Harry Hales being put up on Floater caused several backers to look elsewhere for the winner. The brother to Tom Haleb is known as a smart, rough ruler, but a fear wt»s expressed that his lack of experience in rnre-mhng would be a point against Floater. Tins apprehension, however, proved to be baseless, for Hales rode a nice, patient utoe. Waller, the man who under ordinary cuuimstanees would have had the mount, was superseded because he would have had Io carry nearly four stone dead weight. He saw the reasonableness of the argument, and gave way with a good grace, as he could very well afford Io do, seeing his recompense was being laid 100 to nothing. Describing the race " Galtee More " says that Pirate took advantage of his light weight, and soon establishing v commanding load rattled along at tho head f affairs, but he extinguished the hopes of his numerous admirers by tumbling over tho set of rails at tho bend in the first circuit, anil the same obstacle placed the West Australian representative, Gold and Black, hors tie combat. That misadventure left N.Z. in Ihe van, with Gladstone at the other end of the procession, but the first of the treble brought down the Ooolangalta horse, while N.Z. came down over the last of the set. Crossing ihe Ireblo the field were in a cluster, Floater, Irish Slew, and Hiiro showing the wny almost in Hue from N.Z.. Doomliah, and Fernbank, while ihe favourite had tailed off last, -a position which he occupied to the finish. Howie took liNh -Uiw to tho front as they opened out of tho ihrr slrelch. but the ex-Queens-lander was joined i'y Fernbank as they swung past tho railway bridge, and immediately in their wake came FloaTor, going slrongJy and jumping faultlessly, while Hayseed, who had been taking liberties with his fences, was hopelessly beaten. Irish Stew drew out at the back of the course, and as he did so Floater and Doondiah passed I'Vrnbank, but after j passing the abattoirs the leader slipped as he came to grief over tho same obstacle, leaving Fernbank and Floater to finiah (ho conlcst, and the pair flew the last jump together, but Floater, carrying his impost like a tradesman, showed his superior pace and staying ability on the flat, and easily beat the game son of Postmastor, while the favourite finished absolutely last. Notwithstanding the number of falls, both riders and horses escaped without serious injury.

[ WEARILESS WAIUKU. ""* ' Thi.s great hmvro being about to pail h"f tho noithom homippheie, the occasion is appropriate for giving an outline of his racing, carez: in the land of his birth. Born in Ui& lUt 7 e Auckloiid settlement from which lie* lakes hip name. V,';iiitku is probably the only? LoriOj o£ note that the locality has produced,, 1 but if in after years tho folk of the i.eighl'ourinc{ dibtricts poke fun at the ploce and aak '" Can any good thing come out of Naza- , roth?" tho reply will be to call attention to the great deeds of the son of fit. Leger and , Muskc Maid. I propose to briefly catalogue ! Waiuku's placed performances : — As a three- ' year-old he won tho Maiden Plate and th& j Summer Handicap at the hack meeting proi moled by the Taranaki Club, and in May. at Egmonl, got home first in the Second , Hack Race, but was disqualified for failing j to draw the 31b overweight which his jockey j had declared, the race Leing awarded to I Buckler As a four-year-old he won the j Short s and the Summer Handicap at tho j Taranaki Hack meeting, in tho latter giving ■ lumps of weight to the other candidates: j yon the Autumn Handicap at the Taranaki in open company, paying £25 13s ; then wenft on ti Auckland, where after getting third place in the Easter Handicap won by Folly, he won the St. George's Handicap by rhreo ! lengths from Doris, having a large field of ! fair horses behind him ; next landed tha i Thompson Handicap and the Autumn Handicap at Wellington, defeating St. Clements I by three lengths in the former; and clo&ed ; his winning account for the season by land- ' ing the Flying Handicap at Wanganui, doing" : the six furlongs in limn 16sec. In his iive- ! year-old season Waiuku won the Spring Hanj dica.o and the Flying at Auckland in Sep- ( lember ; won (ho Flying and ran second to 1 The Artist in Ihe mile and a-half race at the Wanganui Spring meeting; then made ' his first excursion to tho South Island, visit- ' ing Ihe C.J.O. meeting, where lie ran third j in Hl3 Stewards' Handicap won by Vanilla, i and pulled off the weight-for-age Electric j Plato, doing the four furlongs in 471 se c; r\u Auckland finished second to St. Laura in tho St. George's Handicap; won the Rail- | way Handicap nnd ran second to Voltigoiu* 1 (the latter receiving 201b) in (he High-weight I Handicap at the Egmont meeting; and won the Stewards' Handicap at the "Wellington meeting in July. At six years, starting ot Auckland in November, he won the Shorts, and was placed in the Flying won by St. Clements and tho Ellorhlie Handicap won by Lady Cuibino;won the Pcarce Handicap and the Hutt Park Spring Handicap at Welj lington ; was third at Chrislchurch in Goldspin t Easier Handicap, and won the Great Autumn Handicap ; and won the Thompson Handicap, one mile, giving lib to St. Paul. La=t season he won the New Zealand Cup wijh 8.6; ran second in the Metropolitan wiMi 9.7 ; made Multiform gallop for a mile and three-quarters in the Canterbury Cup ; csrrie I 9.12 into second place in the Auckland E.G. Handicap; wtis second with 9.13 ii tha Wanganui Cup; won the Thompson Handicap with 10.3 ; and finished second witn 10.7 in the Wellington Autumn Handicap. Expressed in figures, Waiuku's record stands thus: 65 starts, 22 wins, 10 seconds, 4 thirds 29 times unplaced, stakes won £3916. Tho facts constitute their own eul"ogy. RUNNING UNTRIED IN THE DERBY.

The Derby field this year, writes " Herculos," wore as bad a lot as ever raced an Epsom, worfeo in every racing lino and rej cord than tho flock that followed even Sir 1 Bevy*. The owners of Batt and History aljno j seem to have had the sporting pluck to fairly I strip and try on the good old lines. Of 17 ! owners of runners, some 12 may safely be earmarked as millionaires, but they, in common with their brother owners, feared somehow to ask such a racing question as would call j for a clear answer. For Dives, it suits better to try in the minds of managers anrt trainers than on the heath. In the first case, the horses do not break clown, and their fame i» expanded, and in the second, high-class managers and crack new masher well-gloved trainers can, between them, work out conclusions quito as true from unstripped rough, gallops as ever did Matthew Dawson or John. Ccott from dangerous heath trials. Such 11 way of doing it suits soft horses of the day, suits many managers, trainers, combinations, and doubly suits Dives. . They feared to try Disraeli ; they feared to try Dieudonne ; Wantage would not permit a trial ; Hawfinch, I like Jeddah the giant, was, as was Dunlop, i beyond trying on all repealed recent doings; Bridegroom, Elfin, Perthshire, Calveley, The Wyvern, Cherry Heart, and Pheon were publicly so exposed as to be not worth trying. Batt was tried in the good old style, as was Archduke JI, much to the public profit and satisfaction. A mile and a-half on the heath, clothes off and jockeys up, belwren Jeddah and Dieudonne would have opened the sUble's eye 3in a perfect, practical way. whereas, as it was, they raced and wageied in the Park, and, like John Bull, they are m bondages to the fielders even in tho face o? victory. As a guide to the future we may take tho race as it stands then. There ia real excuse for none. There was good, perfect going, a good start. Disraeli ran Ilka a sick horse, for even only in the ruck he was under the whip, and cold ere six furlonga wore covered. Calveloy failed to force tha pacs for Batt ; he never got to the lead which Batt himself took up down the hill, followed hv Wantage. Half-way up the straight ho got rid ot Wantage, and all seemed safe till The giant, wingy Jeddah began to forge to tho front from the sinking Dieudonne ana Dunlop and Hoir Male. Wisely, Madden sat still on the free striding giant, and rew.arcl came in three-parts of a length defeat ot Bait.

BLOCKING THE BOOKMAKERS.

On the 16th of last month something of a sensation was caused in Sydney by a number' of persons found in premises used tor betting being arrested. The police have formerly contented themselves with summoning offenders caught in the act of laying wagers. Heavy Hn s have been the rule in such cases, out 11 appears to bo officially decided that more stringent measures are to be adopted. Oh tins Saturday forenoon a number of police officers pounced suddenly upon premises in Truth lane, off King street, and though their enhance was delayed by the closing or barred doors, a raid was successfully made, lourteen persons svero arrested, but a, few who managed to effect a hurried departure escaped. They were all fined at the Police Court on the Monday, in the sum of 10s eacl» and costs of court, whilst another connected with the premises was dealt with in the mor« severe manner of a fine of £40. A sum o< over £12 was seized, as well as a lot of cards, books, and other stock-in-trade. Double bet* ting and totalisator business had been going on ViV year? ir the same place, -which 18 only one of many similar shops which woi«* nourishing recently in Sydney. Sydney Keferee says that the action of the police is* looked upon aa alowsfc a fatal blow to thq,

Bh op and lane betting, which lately assumed ■ considerable proportions in the «ity, and i£ persisted in .will leave the shop- layers no alternate o but to elo-.o up- Pi operations wore being made for opeiiiii.; i,p the usual payable business over tho two Cups mid other leading handicaps of tho spring but in nearly j all cases such business will probably now bo abandoned. Vo\y RACING IN AUSTRALIA. | " Martindalo," of Sydney, thinks it a great mis'ako on the part of the A.J.C. to throw up the encouragement of pony rat-ing. His remarks on tho subject are profly vrclj on all fours with (he comments mado in thftno columns- iv respect to tho pony-racing question a<s it pre^onlGtl if self in Auckland. Ao doubt, writes my friend, we havo too much racing of all kinds, for which the A.J.O. peoplo aj-p to blame, as they have allowed it to grow, and have evon encouraged ifc to a greal <>.\tcnt Now. tlio mallei wants lookin" =qu:iroly into, and, no* withstanding any action (he A .7.C. may take, pony and galloway racing is sums <o flourish, fhey may Lave it banished fiom the loading rare tracks, but others will takf fhoir place ihey mnv pass a vnle by which all registered bookmakers and rare officials will be excluded from tho pony meetings, but filill capable people will be found to bet and manage lhe business. Is il- thus not far better, to have these thiin^ conducted by competent, and skilled people? and if tho A.J.C. were to allow the added money to stand as it is now —viz.. at, £350, which is £150 more than the VKC. impose upon the subuiban clubs, and take over the galloway racing, so that it would bo properly controlled and conducted, they would, no doubt, meet the maltrv m a way which would be gcnorally approved . ot by tho nuWic. Unless the matter is bandied in a very careful manner, it is likely to bring about no end of trouble. There is one thin| about it whioh the A.J.O. Committee mubt sooner or later re.coonise, and that is tho polio fact that pony racing has come to stay. *t is most unpalstablo lo many, but neverthelaw true. And why not,, if properly conducted •' In every crop of foals reared during a so.uou scores of them are under me. Ihey aro w well bred as anything in the land, nnd cxUi bit both excellent pace and sia -.uts wlum properly trained. The rule prohibiting licensed bookmakers betting at the pony meetings Iws been in force for years m Victoria Yet we see any number of pony meeting held there, pome of which receive c-yei 100 entries per doy. Now this land ol action riinply means the bringing in of more, iflen to bet, the money for which will be found them. That there will be one meeting less held by our pony clubs is not likely, and that the public will be present there is not toe snghtsst doubt. DOMINO THE 1897 93 SKAf-'ON-The last meeting of tho '.ruing year was that promoted by the TerouLa Trotting Club, and held on July 28. The weather proved favourable, the attendance excecdea expectations, and some capital .port was provided, though, lo be candid, the absence of a .olalisator was felt very severely. Two or three bookmakers made an attempt to supply tie vacancy, but after 20 years' experience of the machine, the public do not take kindly lo the old system, and as a matter of tact they do not understand it. Parliamentarians may now threaten as much as they like about abolishing the lolalisator. It is safe fiom their threats. "Firm founded m the people's will," it can never be supplanted by the bookmaker. The half-mile course which was used by the Temuka Club proved to be I bit sticky -under the influence of the frosty weather, consequently no iast time was recorded ; but the racing provided some close passed otf so pleasantly 88 to lead to a hope that the Temuka Club will become one of om permanent institutions.

THE GRAND PRIX. The weather for the Grand Prix was well worthy of June, and the attendance consequently was very large, and many representative English sportsmen made the journey over Though on their form m the Derby *bo success of neither Disraeli Dunlop, nov Archduke II could be looked for unless tho French horses were unusually bad, they were sent to take their chance, but maae a sorry exhibition for England, aiut were aever Peen in the race. Despite the mishap to Gaideteu, he fulfilled hi*, engagement, and. moreover, retained favouritism to the last .starting at ■ 5 to 2 from Cazabal at 9 to 2, and Lo Roi boloil B.i 5 to 1. Qardefeu showed that there was little or nothing the matter with him. .as tie fought out the finkh with Le Roi ooleil, who appears to have lraten M. J. Bremond s colt , on hia merits. This is the firPt time the Grand Prize has fallen to Baron de Roihschild, who received very hearty congratulations on the biiccobs of his colt, and result , was, of course, .eccived vrilb ba^ ao "? n ! by the enormous crowd asembled. lbo vi inner is by Heiume (son of Hermil) out ol Mdlle de la Valliere. by Boiard-Lavcrsino, by Monarque. ROYAL ASCOT. Particulars of tho Ascot meeting are to band Ihfs week, and 1 gather some interesting comments from the Sportsman. Tho met that Jeddah and Bait were to fight their Dcroy , battle over again lent a deal of interest to the Prince ol WaWs Stakes, and in vmw of the better termb hold by the Duke of N\estminster's colt he wiis made favourite at a shade of odds on. ThW estimate proved very erroneous us nnt only did Jeddah win, but he won so easily— the verdict in his favour was five lengths— that the correctness of the hp^om form was more than established, and the horn of a sensational Derby stands out a good livat among our three-year-olds. The Ru&h stavtod favourite for tho Uokl Vase A'.rol, and vi-ab appwoiitiv bcii-ti <»mo distance from home. ~W Df.hoJl I.'.1 .'. 1.0r.-o. ho»vover, made a grand oflort, -uul mana^'Qil to got up j in time to wi.) by a neck from Winsome Ciar- ) leris. A very promising debnL at Gatwiok, ; jwherc he wo.i'tho Worth Hbiko* in unimpeach- j able style, cau-od Blaokwing's promninced , favouritism ior the uiluable Co\ entry i-JUKps, j nnd ol the others Do--montl met with in '"-I j iiipDovf HHckwiii'? cliU not flatlfi hn b?r!icv<. .)'iy part <-f tho rave, and v>.n bcaloii l<- M-lii, wkn in (<u'u v.n (■!■;»: cp •«vith JV ui(,nd. 'i'l'o laU't',, win w,v, ia=:ly '.uliio'.od, and Co Ccvm pomts to him a-> a j houirt two yc.u--<ild h\ a fi'-M of 21 tor the j Rf>yal Hunt Cup. Kuighl of the Thiolle | j nil v f -iifcicd 1>" I:!-, friend" to repeal his viol'irv of a twehonvmlh ago, and at fl;igFall had tho market call of Ilermiblon, who commanded t!ie confidenci* of the connections ' of King^clere. Foston was another greatly fancied, and although he declined in the betline at the finish he was only bealon by one.

It was a good race between Joquemart, Foston, Dinna Forget, and Knight of the Thistle from the commencement oi the royal enclosure, but the colours of Mr L. de Rothschild wore gallantly carried first past the post a length and a-'half in front of Iho Ilsley colt. Tho result could not have been more popular, and was all the more satisfactory since the son of Martagon and Fair Lady is a thoroughly exposed horse. One of the handsomest in training, he was sent to the post in tho brightest trim by Watson, and all connected with, the stable received the warmest congratulations. This is tho first Royal Hunt Cup that has fallen to the share of Mr L. de Rothschild, and tho good form .shown by Jaqucmart gained him plenty of support among the general public. THE ASCOT DERBY AND CUP. Batt, who had been beaten by Jeddah in the Prince of Wales' s Stakes, was brought out for tho Ascot Derby and made a a; arm favourite. He may have been feeling the e'.Fccts of bis earl ior effort, but in any case lie completely collapsed entering the ctraisrht and only finished fifth. The valuable Coronation Stakes has often gone to the Sangsclcre stable, and Lowood this year made an addition to the list. She had raissed the Oaks with an eye to this event, and being in rpcoipt of a lot of weight from Nun Nicer and Airts and Graces, winners of One Thousand and Oa,ks respectively, she started a good favourite. Her favourable weight got her home very easily from Nun Nicer, who, in beating Airs and Graces into third place, reversed the relative positions in the '' ladies race" at Epsom. France made a determined attempt to win the Ascot Cup by sending over four horses, of whom three are the property of 11. E. Blanc, while the other was Klf 11, belonging to M. J. de Bremoud. Thus the contest bore quite an international complexion, which was further strengthened by tho presence of the South American-bred Cartouche 111. It was stated that no course «as too far for Elf 11, who ha-, won many races over a distance of ground on the other side of the Channel, and the result proved the correctness of this estimate, as he beat all the other French hoivses. and was equal to disposing very readily of TLo flush, woo proved the be»t of the English lot. Elf 11, the five-year-old son oi Upcs and Analogy, has like many other good race'iorses had a ,-omowhat chequered career. He was bred in ICJ9S1 C J9S by I'ie Count do Berteux at hi& stud at Cheffrovlilc, in Normandy, and in his two- ' ear old days !>p was sold at a wceding-out bale ior £2£Q. Cm making his flr&t appearance on a vaceeo'ir c in I'c9s he ran moderately, and bi-s next i^-vy was in a selling race. In this lie again failed to figure to advantage. As a ,thrce-ve.ir-okl Elf II won two races, beiii"' purchased privately lor £360 after Ins first Mic cess by IL J. de Bremond. Last yea:be won four races out of seven, beating, m the Prix Rainbow, no lessn champion them Champauberi. r.t evau weights. The di-.lr.ncs of this even I v..^ -lightly ovev tnree ir.ilei.

THE GRAND NATIONAL MEETING,

Bickers fire puzzled about Plsin Bill, as to whether he" is going to the meeting. Up lo Saturday lasfc then- wore backers for bim ; since then they are holding off, and all the rush ia for Dummy. I hear thai the double ot Dummy and Mietnca has been the subject of a commiaßion. Ifc is rumoured that Muecatel is a bis sore. If so, she will not win. But I reserve my selections until more information comes to hnnd. As to the miroc events, the hsnOicaps for which are now declared, I rather like Jib for the Hunters' Hurdle Race, Caatashore fur the Maiden Hurdle Race, Huntingdon for (he Bnfiold Steeplechase, and Double Event for the Winter Handicap ; bub this lastmentioned race is s peculiarly hard one to pick. Great Britain is fccratched for all engagements afc the meeting.